Cold Steel Leatherneck Bowie

I need a new knife for the New Year and was planning on getting a KA-BAR Big Brother, then I learned about this...

Upon seeing that it has a nice, thick tang beneath the handle, I'm convinced that this is the way to go.

I don't care if it's still not suitable for batoning, it's a fighting knife, not a bushcrafting knife, and folks need to stop trying to force combat knives into the role of multipurpose, extreme wilderness survival tools!
Yeah, I get it, big old Bowie knives look way cooler than your average oversized sharpened frosting spatula that folks use for bushcraft, but that's just the way it goes. You can't use a clip point Bowie made of 1095, D2, or low grade Stainless Steel as an improvized hatchet, log-splitter, or prybar and expect it to hold up to it, you need a big, ugly shapened slab of 5160 sandwiched between two slabs of hardwood for that.

Crazy coincidence, but I just realized that this is my 123rd post on these forums.
 
Last edited:
Uncle Buckmaster said:
I need a new knife for the New Year and was planning on getting a KA-BAR Big Brother, then I learned about this...

Upon seeing that it has a nice, thick tang beneath the handle, I'm convinced that this is the way to go.

I don't care if it's still not suitable for batoning, it's a fighting knife, not a bushcrafting knife, and folks need to stop trying to force combat knives into the role of multipurpose, extreme wilderness survival tools!
Yeah, I get it, big old Bowie knives look way cooler than your average oversized sharpened frosting spatula that folks use for bushcraft, but that's just the way it goes. You can't use a clip point Bowie made of 1095, D2, or low grade Stainless Steel as an improvized hatchet, log-splitter, or prybar and expect it to hold up to it, you need a big, ugly shapened slab of 5160 sandwiched between two slabs of hardwood for that.

Crazy coincidence, but I just realized that this is my 123rd post on these forums.
Click to expand...
10.5 inch blade as a combat knife, quite a chunky bit to fight with.
 
I am still beating the snot out of mine. I have pried with the tip, thrown it, chopped tree limbs that I should’ve used an axe for, and batoned logs where I should’ve used a splitting maul.

It still looks the same as when it came out out of the box. The guard is just as tight as it ever was. I could sell it as new tomorrow. All I’d have to do is remove the pine sap and it’d be good to go. Not that I would, obviously.
 
DocJD said:
I see today on sale for under $100 , The LCT Signature version .

I do not want or need this knife ...and this time I really mean it ! ;)
Click to expand...
I know this does not help you, but I just came here because I just pulled the trigger on that one... :D

I already have one and I love it, but I really like another one for a user. The temptation is real.
 
The green LT versions seem to all have the loose guard problem, recent black versions seem to have corrected it. Here's to hoping you guys get a good one.
 
No loose guard on one of these baddies.

CS36MK_1.jpg
 
For anyone worried about loose guards, a Cold Steel employee showed up on Reddit and said it was an issue they’ve corrected, and anyone who has a loose guard can have it exchanged and they will replace it with the same serial number and destroy the old one.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
Mine arrived today and the guard is not loose.
Click to expand...
Congrats! I found the cutout in the guard is slightly wider than thickness of the blade. You can wiggle it side to side with 2 fingers. It bothers me a great deal when the thing rattles with every movement. It's unbelievable they would let it out in that condition. I have a Recon Scout which is extremely solid, and there's no comparison to this toy.
 
jux t said:
For anyone worried about loose guards, a Cold Steel employee showed up on Reddit and said it was an issue they’ve corrected, and anyone who has a loose guard can have it exchanged and they will replace it with the same serial number and destroy the old one.
Click to expand...

Did the CS employee say who pays for shipping - bothways ?
 
Your Name Goes Here said:
Did the CS employee say who pays for shipping - bothways ?
Click to expand...
“Hey! I work with Cold Steel. It was a manufacturing error that we have taken care of. If you bought one just call and we can have a replacement sent to you. (We destroy the original and give you a matching S/N)”

My assumption is you pay to ship to them, but who knows. Maybe try calling to find out.
 
As this thing hit the market I thought I wouldn't buy one, as I stated earlier. Few weeks later I saw the blacked out version in person, cutting, chopping and battoning included. I was allowed to handle it myself and was sold instantly. I decided to pick up the LT version first, arrived with perfect f&f, no loose guard and signed box. Next on my list is the blacked out one.
 
In case anyone wants to buy one and is looking for reviews, which are very rare on this blade, I got you covered.

Used the knife with cutting seasal, paracord and chopping some wood. The D2 blade did seem quite toothy out of the box, I stropped it a little before use to make sure there is no factory burr left. After a little over one hour of use, no sharpness lost. Knife is still solid, no loosening on the guard yet. LT sig still visiable😁
Even the secure ex works on this thing, no dulling and only slight wobble if you shake it.

Got the blacked out one on the way, should be here tomorrow. I wanted to get the Natchez next, but the only websites that have it in stock ask 650+ for the 3v.
 
I stumbled across one of these locally at a gun and knife shop. To be honest, I never heard about or cared that there was an LT version. I just remembered seeing several CS knives under the glass when I bought a knife from them a couple of months ago. I had some cash in my pocket and I remembered seeing the the Leatherneck bowie at the front of the case, and I was close by so I stopped in to check it out. When I got there, I noticed that the blade was facing with the sticker down and that it had a green handle. The guy behind the register was helping a customer, so I just googled "Cold Steel Leatherneck Bowie Green Handle" and up popped the Big River site and the price of $179 or so and that it was the LT version. I didn't care. I buy everything I can locally if it is available, and this place always seems to be in line with the price where they might be a few bucks higher. No biggie.

The guy behind the counter wraps up his chat and I ask the price of the knife as the sticker side is down.
He pulls it out and says, "looks like it's $78.95"
I say, "178.95? That's cool. I'll take it. That's a better than fair deal."
"No, it says 78.95."
"Dude, that can't be right. I know y'all don't sell knock offs."
He scans it with his register, "My system says 'Cold Steel Leatherneck' $78.95, so that's what it is."
"You might wanna let your boss know, that's like 100 bucks off what this is showing for online."
He clicky-clicks to check google. "Yeah, I'm seeing it come up about double...I dunno. Maybe he got a deal at a show or something, but it rings up $78 bucks."
I shrug and pay the asking price. I was willing to pay the $178 or so. I think when they were entering what the price should be, someone missed typing a "1" or that it was supposed to be for the regular size Leatherneck. I kinda feel bad. However, I informed the guy at the front that it was undervalued and he just rang it up as it was...then I remember the SEVERAL times that I have purchased a gun from that store, sold said gun back to that store in near LNIB condition, was hosed and told that they were going to have to sell it pretty cheap and sit on it for awhile, and then saw it sitting under the glass with a price $50 under what I paid for it only to see it gone in a week or two meaning they made their margins on that gun TWICE:rolleyes:. I know business is business, but I also know that when the Universe decides to throw you a Karma bone, you take it ;)

Now for the knife itself. Pretty dang solid. The blade is sharp and the edges ground even. The guard seems tight, but the buttcap has a slight wobble. It doesn't really bother me any. My 25 year old Kabar has had a bit of wiggle to the the cap since I bought it back in high school and it's totally fine. The grip I am mixed on. I would have much rather had a harder plastic grip like you find on a Kabar, and the LKB does feel a bit like a bicycle handle. Time will tell if that is going to matter in use or durability. That said, the blade itself is wonderful. The pin on the buttcap is recessed so if it walks, its going to be a bit before it impacts how it fits on the knife. Part of me wants to just dab a bit high strength epoxy in there to keep it in place. Part of me envisions taking the handle off and finding a nice piece of antler or stag at some point and making it into a pretty formidable looking bowie knife. The sheath is well done. I'm not sure if I will experience any dulling, but it seems to be doing OK. Well formed with a nice audible click and little to no rattle. It feels about on par with the one that came with my Marauder bowie, and it hasn't managed to dull any of the serrations.

For the briefest of moments I was torn if I should use the knife or not. It's supposedly limited edition and "signed" by LT, but do I really care? Could it go up in value? Well it already has. I got it for a hundred bucks off:P Whether it is of any extra value because of a green handle and a laser etched signature once LT (hopefully many, many moons from now) shuffles off to chop pig carcasses with the angels is anyone's guess. I've never bought a knife and not intended to use it or carry it. Nothing I own that is sharp and pointy is for investment. The LKB is a solid knife that feels very much like an old school CS throwback. It's robust, sharp, well thought out in design, and...ridiculous.

PXL-20230714-202051285-2.jpg

Here's a size comparison between some fixed blades I had laying around my office at work. A well carried and used Gerber Mkii, a CS Hand and a Half Dagger that was supposed to go on the wall next to a Claymore about 3 years ago, and the new LKB serial number 2030.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top